Continuance
by ASimplePhan19
Summary: (Re-Write) Time is a foreboding endlessness that no one can ever escape. Only one being is immune to its bounds; yet he is held by an entirely different curse. (Clockwork Backstory) T For Safety


**Oh. My. Goodness.**

**I literally have no sense of time, I never updated Continuance like I said I would. I apologize. I did try, but with school and sports everyday and a ton of homework that I had to do, writing this Fanfiction was unfortunately at the bottom of my list. So, I did what any typical writer would do.**

**I deleted the original and wrote it completely over. **

**Kind of a stupid idea, but after re-reading it I didn't like the way that the original was written. So, hopefully, I hope you guys like this new updated one! I'll try to update more often so I don't have to keep doing this! Sorry!**

**Again, the story is going to start off kind of slow, but just stick with it. I can completely, 100% confirm that Clockwork will be in chapter 3. He will be mentioned in chapter 2, and ****brought into the storyline in chapter 3. The first couple of chapters are simply filler, but they will connect to the storyline in the end.**

**And luckily, I'm off of all sports for three weeks, and I only have two practices a week once club starts again. So, I'll be certain to update more often.**

**Thanks for the understanding you guys! I hope you like this newer version!**

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><p><strong>Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom in any way, shape, or form. I don't even own a majority of my OC's. I do own anyone you've never heard of though.<strong>

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><p>The endless waves of pulsating green light etched its way into the solid red eyes of the Ancients. There was nothing more, nothing less, just the continuos waves of the green light that stretched on to the end of the world created for them. Sudden bursts of purple surges crept through the never-ending sky, streaking through the harsh greens and producing a vibrant contrast to it. The world created for them, the Ghost Zone, had nothing similar to any other world that existed in the immense universe. They knew. For they were the ones that created it in the first place.<p>

The first Ancient, the one that stood as their leader, hovered in front of the rest of them and extended his skeletal hand to the sky. The entire world shook before them, yet they were never thrown off balance. Swirling tails of black and violet formed next to him, and pieces of rock flew out of them. They arranged themselves in such a way that they looked like islands, creating places that could be lived upon. Some appeared just underneath the small grouping of Ancients, other shot themselves off into the horizon.

"A place to live. A place to rule. A place that is ours, Ancients. This is where we will guide the lost and show them paths, unlike the foolish races we had once come from." said Ancient stated, turning around to face them. The group nodded simultaneously, accepting what he had said. Each had come from a different world, possibly from different universes, and all had ended up in an empty void. However, the only thing that they seemed to share was the unusual ability of being able to commune with the dead. They had adjusted themselves so they all looked the same. Same green, skeletal arms, same red eyes, same purple attire that marked them as significant to everyone else. Purple had always meant royalty, power, nobility. The Ancients wanted dominance over everyone else they would soon rule.

"The others? Should we release them, now that the world is constructed?" an Ancient, Amyntas, questioned. His role, as Defender, was as it explained. To defend. He was strong, gentle, and carried the grace and regality of a true warrior. It was all shaded by the robe, the robe they all required themselves to wear to show ownership. He had some certain aura about him, one of amiability for the rest of the few others who had accompanied them. There was a small group, around twenty or so, other than the Ancients. Truly, ten of them had shown some sense of intelligence over the others. The Ancients had plans for those ten. Plans that would help in altering the future of their world. The other ten were fairly normal, not really showing any extent with abilities or anything. They were simply others who had followed the Ancients due to the harsh reality of the worlds they used to live in.

"Not yet, Amnytas. The world is not prepared yet. They need to be changed. Their mortal bodies cannot handle the atmosphere that is now present. Doing so will result in their imminent death." another male Ancient spoke, his voice unwavering and emotionless. He raised his hand and closed the portals, watching as they faded out of existence as quickly as they had come into it. As he closed his eyes and straightened his wrist, the invisible energy started to gather into the shape of a door. It's color became a bright pop of purple, contrasting the harsh greens of the sky. The Ancient, Cenric, opened his eyes and let out a deep exhale, motioning for the rest of the group to enter.

The door opened to reveal a small room, bearing the appearance of a cave. Rocks jutted out form the sides, ground, and ceiling, occasionally falling and sending an echoey _clink_ into the room. The remaining people sat there in silence, simply staring at the grey, rocky floor. They whispered to one another as they saw the Ancients return.

"Is it finally ready, Charmion? Can we see what you've done for us?" a female asked. She went by the name of Anathema, even though her real name was Belphoebe. She was thrown out as an outcast after being mistaken for the murder of her father, and the crippling accident that paralyzed her sister. Her name originally meant 'beauty', but was quickly seen as a sign of banishment after said accident. She hated hearing it after that, reminding that of her past. Anathema meant 'curse', and since she felt like she was one, she took on that name. Charmion, a female Ancient, had convinced her to come with her when she heard of this "new world construction". She said she was there to help her friend, since Charmion was the only one she had. In reality, she was looking for an escape.

"Unfortunately, it isn't." an Ancient by the name of Bakar murmured. "You see-"

"The world is unstable, and is not like anything you had come from. The air is different, as is the gravity. Your normal, mortal bodies would implode by even stepping an inch into the world. You have to change into one of _our _kind in order to survive." Cassius, the Ancient of vainness butted in, shoving Bakar to the side. Bakar took said interruption with a simple sigh. He was seen as the weakest link in the grouping of Ancient, due to his small size and stature. Being ignored and thought less of was something he already conceptualized.

Whispers of doubt and confusion began to travel through the air, sending chills down everyones spine due to the echo that the cave gave off. The smallest human left, one by the name of Pariah, shakily stood up in confusion. His voice hushed all those of the others talking around him, including the more powerful Ancients.

"How will we change? Isn't it impossible, to change from one race to another as if you were blinking an eye?" he tilted his head to the left, in an act of confusion, his massive hair flipping in front of his face and creating a rather childish scene. It took the willpower of most Ancients not to laugh at him.

"Seemingly impossible, yes, but look how we changed ourselves. You will go to the one who brought you here, and conjure the image of yourself that you wish to be. A few changed will be made, yes, but try to keep in line with your physical appearance. It will be a combination of both your personality, as well as your appearance." Amyntas said, hovering over to the rest of the group. Pariah nodded his head, seating himself back onto the cold ground.

Mere seconds later, they had adapted. Their regular, flesh colored skin was replaced with an odd array of colors, varying from green to blue to purple, even white. It looked like a negative copy of everyone had replaced their previous selves. However, ten of them noticed they were exactly the same, no difference from one person to the next. They stood- no, hovered- as a thin, delicate shape. They were draped in regal white robes, with high black colors that extend above their heads. They had no mouth, no nose, only one large, piercing green eye that sat in the middle of their "face".

The most drastic changes, however, were Pariah and Anathema.

Where their lanky, awkward figures stood before were now replaced with those of grace and beauty. Anathema's pale skin was tinted a dark shade of turquoise, contrasting against her black hair. Solid red eyes stared at all of them in surprise. She looked like her old name used to display, a person of beauty. She was dressed in simplistic clothing, a long, black, strapless dress without any pattern or defined shape. She looked like regality and royalty, not like a curse brought to the rest of the land.

Pariah, on the other hand, was a completely different story.

The man with a five-foot tall frame now stood like a towering tree, hardly being able to fit inside the room. His frizzy hair had stayed the name, except it was now a chade of electric green that seemed to glow in the room. The man whose limps looked like nearly broken tree limbs were expanded tenfold, now looking like massive tree trunks. He was covered from head to toe in armor, even his head. A red helmet, adorned with large, grey horns, sat upon his face, only showing his paper white skin. His eyes glowed a fierce green, identical to that of his hair. And to complete it, a long, jagged scar ran across his left eye.

Needless to say, the Ancients were shocked.

Even **_they_ **hand't made such a drastic transformation. They had kept it simplistic as it could get, not ever really daring to show their faces. Most of the others, except for the ten that they selected, had minor differences, but nothing close to that of Pariah's. Even Anathema's. Power radiated off of the two like tsunami waves, so much that it almost pushed them backwards against the wall. Looks of shock sat upon the faces of the others, and the selected ten had their green eyes stretched as far as they could go. Pariah looked down at his gargantuan arms, then at the rest of his body. A satisfied smirk morphed into existence on his face.

Cassius cleared his through loudly before floating towards the others. "There. It is done. You have been transformed into our kind, ghosts. I know you think the world belongs to those who sit in the void between death and life, but we are not the same. We are memories of the past, manifested into a physical being. You represent both your mind, and your body, in one race. We are not simply ghosts, we are manifests. Learn the difference. It will come into play later in your pathetic lives." he sneered, snarling at the others like they were worthless to him. He believed he was the most powerful of the Ancients, and his disgustingly vain attitude made the others believe that he actually was. He folded his hands across his chest, letting air escape his nose in an annoyed fashion. "Go through the door we came through. Once you're in the world, which is called the Ghost Zone, simply imagine a door. It will appear quickly. Make sure you remember what it looks like, since that'll be your new home. You can go inside and imagine what it looks like, I honestly don't care. You cannot enter another manifests door, unless they mark it as open or invite you inside." He sharply motioned towards the door that they entered through. The first ten began to shuffle through the door; Pariah having to crawl through it in order to simply fit in the doorway.

Cassius slammed the door as he noticed the remaining ten attempt to leave. "You ten need to stay. We have a mission for you." he hissed, releasing his grasp on the doorknob. He clenched his fist tight, his green, bony knuckles turning an even lighter shade of green. The door disappeared into a cloud of smoke. Godeliva, the Ancient of love and emotions, felt a sudden shift in everyone's mood. Fear replaced excitement for discovering the world they would live in.

Godeliva hovered over to Cassius, softly pushing his arm. His eyes met hers as she motioned her head to the side, not trying to send his emotions spiraling and put him in even more anger. He nodded his head, even though she could feel the anger beginning to seep out of him. She turned towards the others, and raised her hands to her hood, pulling it down to reveal her face. Her appearance shifted, transforming her skeletal face into that of a humans. Pale, white skin replaced her green bones. Hair that was barely a shade darker than her skin covered her startling blue eyes. She needed them to trust her. Once that trust was made, she wouldn't need to do this anymore.

"I know you are experiencing fear at this moment of time, it us very understandable. You ten were chosen for a very select task. We will rule over this world, as we said we would, however you will be the government for us. We gifted each of you with a certain gift, and you will protect the gift you are given. As you exit, we will bestow your name as well as your gift." she said sweetly, flicking her wrist nimbly as the door reappeared.

The first three to exit -Past, Present, and Future- each watched and guarded their own times. They had the most stressful job out of all of them, especially Future. He could not tell anyone what he would see without altering the future all together. The two others were, as simply put, guardians of their time.

The remaining eight received their gift and proceeded out of the room without a second word. Godeliva gave them a small smile before quickly slamming the door shut, willing it out of existence so no one could intrude on them.

"What happened with Pariah?" she hissed, her icy eyes morphing back into her completely red ones. Her skeletal frame replaced her humanoid one, and the familiar greenish-hue surrounded her body. "And Anathema, for that matter? Why are they so powerful?"

"This is information I simply do not know at the moment. I saw what they were thinking; they did exactly as we told them to do. They didn't imagine anything greater than they were. To be completely honest, Anathema pictured worse than herself." Bakar murmured, his words actually being heard by everyone. He glanced down at the floor with a depressed sigh. He would much rather be out there with the others, than cooped up in here with people who thought nothing of him.

"Their minds are simply more powerful than their mortal bodies. Anathema's pain translated into her own manifestation of power, though I do not understand the reasoning behind Pariah's. His may be the thought that he was underestimated, although it could also fall under many other categories." Godeliva reasoned, remembering Anathema's past and how she was mistreated. The Ancients nodded, signifying that they could understand this reason as to why they looked more powerful than the Ancient's themselves.

Charmion conjured up the door once more, opening it for the rest of the Ancients to go back into Ghost Zone. "I'll leave the door closed, but it'll still be here." she stated, hovering outside into the green, open sky. "We know others are going to come, going to follow in our footsteps. I have it synchronized so we'll know when people arrive; it'll be like someone pricking your arm." She looked back inside to make sure that there were no other possible people to come into the entrance, and then closed the door delicately, like it was made out of glass. She turned, with eyes closed, and nodded her head at the others. The seven Ancients raised their hands in the air, casting out beams of light into the same confined area. The shape of a building, a castle, to be exact, began to form, although it glistened in a bath of bright white light that almost left them blinded. After what seemed like an eternity, the light ceased, revealing a large, brick, blood-red castle towering above them. Skulls carved into the walls, faces of pure terror and darkness etched on their faces. Pieces of metal that looked like long talons curved down from the walls, piercing the very thing that held them up. Towers snaked up from the original structure, stretching high up into the green sky. This was their home now. This is where they would rule.

"Brothers, Sisters, our reign over this world has started today. Let us live long and prosper, and wish an endless ruling over all." the final Ancient, Amyntas, roared, raising his fist in the air an attempt to excite the rest. The Ancients roared, raising their hands in the air and blasting a rainbow of energy beams into the sky. They met, mixing into a bright white bulb, and shot up into the sky. Bright white streaks flashed across the sky, looking eerily similar to lightning. The branches flew down to the ground, surrounding the small area in a white aura. It faded, only showing a white gleam if the wall was stared at for too long.

The world was marked as their now. No one would ever take it from them.

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><p>Years had passed after the Ghost Zone was created. A year in the eyes of a Ghost, but five in the eyes of the other universes. There had not been many more people to enter this world, opposite of what the Ancients had expected. Five-hundred had entered the world, been changed, and accepted their fate under the rule of the Ancients.<p>

Unfortunately for them, this world wasn't as they expected.

The Ancients had promised them freedom from a government that was restrictive. They kept them inside that dome, one hardly half of the size of the cities they came from. The Ancients mocked them, being able to pass through the wall with any free-will that they had. Their castle was larger then their dome, and they only had seventeen ghosts to fit inside of it. There were about five-hundred of them crammed inside of that small dome. Moving around was an almost impossible task.

The rules they created where unethical, as well. Ones like, 'two ghosts cannot be in the same lair at the same time', and 'two ghosts cannot form more than one child than their mates'. Their race would die out quickly if this rule continued. People back in the mortal worlds were hearing about the obscene rules of the Ghost Zone. Less and less people would stumble in, only one or two a week. They realized that eventually no one would come in anymore, and their attempt to have a new world would crumble out of existence.

The Ancients had promised them growth, and yet again, they failed to deliver. Most only gained one new ability every fifth of a year, or one humanoid year. They saw the Ancients gaining new abilities every day that they saw them, showing them off outside of the dome. They simply mocked them. They treated them as if they were worth less than them. And they felt that way.

And the worst part? They could never leave.

There were two that these rules never seemed to apply to. Anathema and Pariah. The original eight that had come with them had seen it from the very first day. Their power was almost consistent with that of the Ancients, Pariah's possibly being a bit stronger than some of theirs. They had seen Pariah break through the dome every once in a while, however Cassius would quickly find him and take him to the castle for more than a week. Pariah often came back beaten and weak, hardly able to stand, yet he continuously attempted his escape. Anathema feared that one day he would never return, and the Ancients would kill him. He keeps on digging his own grave with each attempt he made to escape.

Over the course of that year, the two most powerful ghosts inside the dome grew closer to each other every day. They broke the rule constantly, sneaking into each others lairs to talk for hours upon hours, trying to formulate a way to escape. Nothing could come to them even after trying to do this for over three months. They found themselves unable to think, and it almost seemed like anytime they got close to finding something, they lost it instantly.

The pairing had become distant to all of the others stuck inside of the dome. They never communicated, and often were ignored by everyone else. In secrecy, they admired the pair for their power, but feared them for it too. They believed they would either save them, or kill them. And they didn't know which one to choose at this point.

Pariah stepped out of his lair, his frizzy green hair sticking out of his head in every direction. He slammed his door, an inaccurately carved design of metal and wood that intertwined with one another. He flew down to the main square, seeing everyone's faces look up as he soared down right in the middle. Everyone backed away, trying to escape the shockwave that he would create when he landed. He did so, causing the fragile piece of land to shake a tremble. He glared down at the rest of them, watching as the crept back into one another in fear. He liked showing dominance over the rest of them.

His electric green eyes darted around, watching for a disturbance in the air; where Anathema was waiting. They were one of the few in the dome who could turn invisible, and they would meet each other in secrecy. The Ancients couldn't see them invisible inside of the dome, yet they could see him when he even stepped outside of it. The dome was the most restraining part of his life, yet it was the only thing that protected him from the Ancients, especially Cassius.

Pariah had escaped four times, and each time, Cassius had been waiting for him. The last was the worse, when Pariah was so close to reaching to portal that would take him back. Cassius had been sitting there, waiting for him, waiting to attack him, like an animal stalking his prey. He took him back to the castle, the very place that he feared most, and beat him endlessly. None of the other Ancients new about this, he could tell. Only Cassius was the one to approve of his beatings. He sat on the line between life and death every time, feeling himself fade in and out of consciousness with each minute. His limbs were broken and healed over and over again. Cassius had even gone as far as to break his neck, and then instantly bring him back from the valley of death.

Pariah shuddered at the memory, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck, feeling the ridges of his bones that jut out of his skin. His eyes caught a slight shift in vision, almost like another dimension added to the one they lived in. He hovered over to the ridge and turned himself invisible, sitting down next to Anathema.

"Anathema," he whispered, watching as her invisibility faded and returned due to him startling her. "Let's go."

He saw as she nodded, and she took his hand. He felt his body twist and conform as she teleported the two of the to her lair; the only power that the two of them didn't share. Where Anathema possessed teleportation, Pariah had telekinesis. The two were a powerful combination, and a deadly one.

Mere seconds later, they appeared in Anathema's lair. It was very simplistic, only consisting of a small bed, couch, and table. They had no need to eat, and only had to sleep for an hour to sustain the energy that they needed. The Ghost Zone replaced energy with ectoplasm and carbon dioxide, which would be deadly is a human was exposed to it. Both basically fed ghosts, meaning they had no real need to eat either. They could sustain themselves in oxygen, but only for short durations of times. That's at least what the Ancients had told them, though they lacked any belief in what they said.

Pariah and Anathema simultaneously dropped their invisibility, as they had done for many months. Anathema flew over to the couch and sat down, patting the seat next to her to talk to Pariah. He hesitated, for he typically sat at the table because of his large size. He knew that he wouldn't fit on it, but he tried anyway. And, of course, he broke the couch.

"Sorry. I knew that wouldn't work." he mumbled, feeling his cheeks grow cold. Due to their lack of blood, and instead having ectoplasm, they grew cold when embarrassed. They grew sick, but did not ever gain fevers. They would practically freeze to death.

"So did I. I needed a laugh today." Anathema giggled, closing her eyes and fixing the couch. Ghosts could manipulate their own lairs and replace whatever original furniture was in there, whatever furniture was gifted to them by the Ancients. Pariah let out a laugh, one that echoed all throughout the lair. This was a normal routine for the two. Their friendship was more of an unbreakable bond at this point in their lives.

Pariah ceased his laughter quickly, turning his head to stare at the blank, gray wall. There was no ounce of color in any of the lairs; he knew this with a certainty. Colors marked individuality, and that was something that the Ancients forbid in this world. "I want to escape again. If I can find a way to get both of us out of here, then we can take down Cassius and finally leave this wretched land." he confessed, glancing over to Anathema as her face twisted in confusion.

"Pariah, you can't! You know what Cassius will do to you! He'll kill you!" she exclaimed, rising from her seat in a flash. Her bright red eyes were wide with concern, and fear was woven heavily into her voice. She hovered over to the table and sat across from Pariah, lacing his tiny, blue hands into his enormous, armored ones. "I don't want to lose you. No one here understands me."

Pariah nodded solemnly, but the idea of escaping with Anathema still lingered in the back of his mind. He wanted to return to his normal life, a life where he wasn't the most feared being, a world where he was understood. Pariah liked showing dominance, not fear. But right now, he could't tell the difference.

"Do you think, if this was possible, I could break the dome? It may the be only way-"

"I forbid it, Pariah." Anathema interrupted, blasting a small ectoray in-between Pariah's eyes. He let out a small hiss of pain, rubbing the burned part of his forehead. Anathema's ectoblasts were small a powerful, whereas Pariah's were large and less powerful, at least compared to the Ancients. "Eventually too many manifests well be in here and they'll be forced to enlarge the dome." she stood up and sat back down on the couch, letting a huge sigh escape her feeble lips. It was obvious she was fed up with Pariah's attempts at escaping, yet she would never have the courage to tell him that. She knew that he wouldn't listen to her anyway.

"But how long will it be? No one's coming anymore. We're going to start dying out sooner or later. We're all going to be driven to the brink of insanity, and we'll kill each other. I don't want it to come to that. I don't want to hurt anyone, Anathema." Pariah admitted, cracking his knuckles out of a nervous habit. The sound echoed inside of his armor, sending chills up his spine. It was what he feared most: being too powerful. He knew he would take out all of the others with no trouble, and it made him fear himself. It was one of the other reasons he incessantly tried to escape, even though he knew that he would fail.

He wanted Cassius to kill him so he would't hurt anyone in the future.

It was a twisted thought, and that he realized. But if it was so he couldn't kill anyone, it would be worth it.

"I can't talk about this anymore, Pariah. I wish for you to leave." Anathema ordered, placing her head between her hands. Pariah rose, turning to look at her for a moment, trying to form the jumbled words floating around in his head into a sentence he could say to her. But nothing could form. Pariah turned, walking over towards the door, grasping the cold, metallic doorknob between his hands. He paused again, turning around to see Anathema looking at the wall behind her, intentionally ignoring Pariah. He let out a sigh before twisting the doorknob and going back into world that he hated.

He closed the door as quietly as he could, looking at the door to Anathemas lair. It was plain, only four markings on each corner the door. The markings where just four lines that met in the middle of the door, and then formed a square the jutted out of the door. It was much less meticulous than Pariah's, or anyone else's, for that matter. He frowned to himself, closed his eyes for a long time, and then finally turned around.

Only to be staring right into the eyes of Cassius himself.

His long, skeletal fingers wrapped themselves around Pariah's neck, and he used his strength to hoist Pariah up on the door. The scene was odd, for Cassius was only half the size of Pariah. Yet he held so much more power than Pariah would ever dream to.

"I am disgusted by you, Pariah. You think that you're so clever, don't you? I've been watching you, your every move, how you betray our laws every day. I should punish you for it. Maybe I should punish Anathema inst-"

"No!" Pariah yelled, although the yell sounded meek due to his lack of air. "Don't lay a hand on her."

Cassius snickered to himself, strengthening his grip on Pariah's neck. He could feel his chest burning, struggling to take any of the ectoplasm or carbon dioxide into his system. Cassius was going to kill him right here, outside Anathema's door. His vision was beginning to fade; being taken over by blackness invading his eyes. He limply kicked his leg, trying to get away from Cassius, but it barely even grazed his cloak. Cassius let out another laugh at his feeble attempt to get away. "You are pathetic, did you know that? The most powerful manifest in this dome is going to die because I strangled him." he snarled, his red eyes boring into Pariah's green ones. "I've been waiting to do this since the day you came here, you insignifigant-

"Cassius! Cease your actions!" Amyntas bellowed, sending a green ectoblast at the back of Cassius's head. It knocked him over, sending him spiraling to the ground below. Pariah hovered in the air, trying to catch his breath again, before falling back down with him. Amyntas shot out a light blue blast that encircled Pariah, preventing him from falling to the ground below. He pulled Pariah back up to him, releasing his hold on him. The blue light died, and Pariah hovered in the air once more.

"Thank... you," he breathed out, closing his eyes and looking up at the green sky.

"I apologize for Cassius's actions. I asked him to find you and bring you to the castle. Future told me he would've kill you if I didn't intervene." Amyntas said, glancing down at the ground below him. He saw the ghosts gathered in a circle around Cassius's form. He could see him moving slightly, but Amyntas lost all trust in his actions. Killing one of the civilians was not in their ideas for keeping this dome a balanced place.

He looked back at Pariah, and saw his green eyes wide with fear. "I-I have to go to the c-castle?" he questioned, his voice cracking in terror. Amyntas nodded, and watched as Pariah tensed, clenching his teeth. His eyes darted in all directions, looking for any other Ancients. He could make a break for it right now, since Cassius would't be able to stop him. He knew he was far too weak to do that, however. It would be a plan that was certain to fail.

"Calm down, Pariah. Cassius will not be there, only the rest of the Ancients. No one's going to hurt you." he said, trying to calm the massive ghost. Cassius had placed a fear of the castle that was so intense into Pariah's mind, and Amyntas was certain that it wasn't going to leave him anytime soon. Amyntas let out a sigh, grabbing his hood and lowering it down over his head. His skeletal face morphed into a more manifest-like one. His skin was still the light shade of green that matched the green of the sky, and his red eyes were exactly the same. He simply just had skin and hair, things he lacked in his Ancient form. He stood up and extended his hand to Pariah to help him up. Pariah stared at him, his gut screaming at him to never trust any of the Ancients. Yet he felt as is he couldn't control any limb of his body as his hand reached up to be helped up. Amyntas shut his eyes and teleported the two of them to the castle outside the dome. The teleportation ability that Amyntas possessed was much more sophisticated than Anathema's, for it was much smoother and faster. Pariah thought he was still hovering in the spot he was just moments ago.

They had teleported just outside of a large door, one that was at least five times the size of Pariah. The door was red, as was the rest of the castle, and surrounded by black metal that gleamed in the hall lit only by green torches. Pariah shuddered; the hallway made a sense of unease settle in his stomach. Amyntas glanced back at Pariah, raising his hood and morphing his face back into its original Ancient form. He shut his bright red eyes once more, surrounding the door in a light blue light, opening the doors with a creak that pained Pariah's eardrums.

Inside stood the remaining Ancietns, standing next to a small, stone pedestal. Amyntas placed his hand on Pariah's shoulder, giving him a small smile, and then flew over to the empty space next to Bakar and the podium. Pariah stepped inside, his armored boots echoing throughout the nearly empty room. The door snapped shut behind him, blowing Pariah forwards with the strength of the wind. He looked at the Ancients that stood before him, all of their red eyes boring into his soul. They were lined up by the colors of their auras, which happened to follow that pattern of the rainbow -the color white replacing violet-, except they were missing red and orange. Cassius was red, he had seen his aura enough times to know and fear that color. It was typical that the color red would signify his character. The color itself represented danger. Orange, however, was one that he didn't know. It was impossible to tell while the Ancients had their hoods down, and they weren't talking, too.

"Fear is unnecessary, Pariah. We aren't here to harm you." Godeliva assured, folding her hands together and flashing him a smile. Folding your hands represented peace and treaty in their world. No one would ever harm each other when this sign was shown. Doing so was a sign of disrespect.

Pariah nodded, although he felt completely terrified in their presence. He felt powerless, and he felt like Cassius would barge in at any moment and kill him without second though, all as the Ancients cheered on one of their own. He gulped, trying to hide his fear from the most powerful beings in existence.

"Step forward, Pariah." an Ancient by the name of Cenric demanded. His pure white aura surrounded him, bestowing an other-worldy look to him. Cedric was the most powerful Ancient, as well as their leader. He was the one who created the majority of the Ghost Zone, without the help of any other Ancients. If Pariah were to say that he respected the Ancient, as well as feared him, it would be an understatement.

Pariah did as he asked, and it took all the willpower in his bodies to move his heavy limbs forwards only a few feet. He felt a bead of cold sweat drip down his forehead and down onto the floor, hitting it with a hiss of water evaporating. Water was unable to stay in its liquid form for a long duration of time. The temperature of the Ghost Zone was far too hot.

Pariah heard the door open once more, and felt a small wind as the orange Ancients flew past him and stood in the first empty space. He knew someone else would be here, the door would've been closed by this point. He heard the footsteps, very light ones, approaching him from behind. He saw a quick flash of black at about the height of his chest, and he immidiately recognized said person.

It was Anathema.

"Now that you two have finally joined us, this meeting can finally commence." Cenric exclaimed, and all the Ancients roared in agreement. They ceased the noise of their yelling, trying to maintain a look of composure, something they could't seem to keep constant. Their demeanor of power was often faked, due to the fact that they have never ruled anyone it somehow managed to convince everyone that lived in their little world that their power was true.

Pariah peered over and Anathema, seeing her red eyes widened with fear. Her head turned and looked up at his, silently mouthing, "What's going on?"

The Ancient with the orange aura flew in front of the others, taking Anathema's attention off of Pariah. "I understand your fear for the unknown, Anathema. There is nothing that needs to be worried about." they said. Pariah instantaneously recognized the speaker as Charmion, the Ancient of Grace. Pariah heard Anathema exhale in relief, but her delicate hands still clutched his arm in search of someone to protect her. Pariah softly patted her hands with the one that she wasn't holding for dear life, showing her that he was there for her.

Charmion stepped backwards, smiling underneath her hood at the pairs actions.

Adela, The Ancient of Nobility, and the one with the green aura, stepped forwards the split second that Charmion stepped back into hers. "We understand that you two are, by far, the two most powerful beings in the dome, other than us seven and the Observants. And we know you two have been formulating plans to escape." Adela's eyes narrowed, glaring specifically at Anathema. Unbeknownst to her, Adela despised Anathema in every single way possible. They had lived in the same town before they were brought to the Ghost Zone. She was upset that Charmion had brought Anathema with her. Adela knew that she only meant trouble.

Anathemas grip around Pariah's hand instantly tightened, knowing that the Ancients would banish them for this, or worse, kill them. They had lied about things in the fast, and lying about there being nothing to worry about wouldn't trouble them in the slightest.

"However, we will overlook these Actions. We spoke with the Brothers of Time, and Future informed us that the world would crumble no matter what we did, unless we took one path. The path that bestowed the two of you as rulers."

Pariahs eyes widened as soon as the words left her mouth. He had been waiting for the Ancients to execute the two of them right then and there, not for Adela to tell them they were to _rule _the dome they lived in. He looked down at Anathema, completely out of words, and watched as she looked back up at him with a look of astonishment planted on her face. They both laughed out of shock, and Anathema wrapped her arms around Pariah's middle in a hug.

Pariah managed to gather himself and turn back to the Ancients. "Rule? How would the rest of the other react by having us rule over them. They fear-"

"They fear you. We're aware. That's why you should rule over them. Fear is the driving factor behind obedience, and it is not anything that our personalities allow us to do. We need you to do this for us." Bakar murmured, barely audible to the rest of the group.

The two's excitement for the situation left as quickly as it had come. They only wanted them to rule because everyone feared them. He could hear Anathema sigh beside him, releasing her hold on Pariahs waist. "I can't rule over people if they fear me." she whispered, turning her head to look at the large door behind them.

"We aren't giving you an option. We need this world to sustain itself, and it can't be done if we continue with our rule. You two are the only ones who can prevent the downfall of the Ghost Zone." Bakar immediately stated, narrowing his eyes at the two of them. "We're not letting this world die out so quickly."

Anathema and Pariah looked at each other, trying to read the others faces to figure out just what the two of them would do. They could let the world around them crumble and fail, although the Ancients probably wouldn't even let them say no. But living in a world that they ruled, although it sounded fantastic, would be one not worth living in if they only ruled out of fear.

Before Pariah could even turn his head to look back at the Ancients, Anathema stated, "We'll do it."

Pariah flew in front of Anathema, gripping her shoulders. "Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked, wondering how she changed her mind so quickly. She grabbed his hands and lifted his off of her shoulderns, nodding her head quietly as she lowered them to his side. He nodded at her, turning back around to the Ancients and nodding to them as well.

"It has been confirmed." Cenric bellowed, raising his hands in the air. The pedestal in the middle of everyone began glowing with an other-worldy white glow. The outline of a ring and a crown was silhouetted above the pedestal, and a green hue began to form around it. The white light died, and the two objects were lift hovering above the pedestal.

Charmion and Cenric grabbed one of the objects, Charmion the ring, and Cenric the crown. They flew over to the pair and motioned for them to lower down, and they did as they asked.

Charmion flew in front of Anathema, and Cenric behind Pariah. "From this day forth, let us mark Pariah and Anathema as the rulers of the Ghost Zone. Yet your reign be long." they spoke in synchronization, all of the Ancients did. Anathema extended her hand and Charmion slipped the ring, one with a green band with a black stone in the middle, onto her middle finger. Cenric lowered the crown down on Pariah's head, and let it hover there. The crown was simplistic, a black one surrounded by green flames. It cast a dark shadow over Pariah's face, making him older than he actually was.

"You may rise." Cenric commanded, flying back to the rest of the others, along with Charmion. They all folded their hands in an ordered fashion, staring back at the pair of the two. "It is necessary that you have a royal name, one that sets you apart from everyone else."

The two looked at one another, nodding their heads simultaneously. It was odd that the two had been discussing a last name just so they could be slightly different than the rest.

"I wish to go by Anathema Bane, and he wishes to go by Pariah Dark." Anathema said, looking back at the Ancients. They all looked at each other and nodded.

"You are dismissed. Return to this castle tomorrow to begin your official rule." Amyntas said, raising his hand to the door and opening it from the opposite side of the room. The pair nodded their heads and turned, Pariah's arm wrapped around Anathema's shoulder.

Little did the two know that the Ancients twisted plan was just set into action.

* * *

><p><strong>And done! This chapter was quite a bit longer than the original, and I feel like it was actually a lot better than the other. It is going a lot faster, but that means Clockwork gets to be here sooner! Anyway I hope that you guys liked this version better! I will make sure to update it a lot more often than I did before! <strong>

**Oh, and I was wondering if anyone could draw a title card for this story? It doesn't have to be anything particular, but just PM me if you want to possibly do this. Thanks!**

**ASimplePhan19**


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